Kenneth Byron Moore

When Ken died at age 55, a death sudden and unexpected, family and friends were left in stunned sorrow and pain. Gone was the Ken they had known for years as son, father, grandfather, brother or nephew; gone was the kind, loving man who had been Kim Hettinga’s fiancé and true love; and gone was the man who had brought support, understanding and smarts to many co-workers at Alaska Airlines.

"Ken was the love of my life and my best friend,” Kim said. “He was calm, steady, and fully present. Every single day of our relationship, I know I was seen, heard, and respected by him. I know to my core, I was cherished, and I am a better human being to have been loved by him.”

“I can’t believe my brother is dead at age 55,” said Lelani Alves, Ken’s older sister. “My brother was sweet, fun and sarcastic. He loved his children and family with all his heart. I feel that when he met Kim, they were truly happy.”

In a Father’s Day post on Facebook, his daughter, Jessica, wrote: “It breaks my heart to say that my absolutely incredible father sadly passed away this weekend. I’ve never met someone so compassionate and caring who has made such a positive impact on everyone they have ever met. He taught me to be strong, open-minded, silly, kind, curious, and so much more. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without him.”

Ken’s death from a heart attack also deprived those who knew and loved him of a future they had anticipated as a given.

His son, Jason Moore, and daughter, Jessica, won’t have the anchor they expected. Jason and his wife, Natalia Mendez-Moore, won’t have the grandfather who would have brightened the lives of their two young children, Mateo and Julian.

“My dad was my role model,” Jason said. “As a father, he was so engaged, present, calm, caring, thoughtful, helpful, and loving. He instilled kindness and love in me that I carry into every interaction in my daily life. He laid down the foundation for me and taught me what it means to be a good man and a good father. I’m so thankful to have had a dad like Ken Moore. I strive to be a father like him to my two boys.”

Kim won’t know the married life that was on the near horizon, the travel they had planned, the horseback riding and underwater adventures they anticipated when they finally got their scuba certification. Kim also lost Ken as a partner in the New Dawn Consulting business they started in 2021.

Co-workers at Alaska Airlines who posted online remembrances clearly expected Ken to be an important coach and supporter of their careers.

Kenneth Byron Moore was born Dec. 6, 1967, in Hemet, California, to Robert D. Moore and Susan L. (Wallace) Moore. He died June 16, 2023, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Ken spent his early years in Idyllwild and Willows, California, before moving to Anchorage, Alaska. He graduated from East High School in Anchorage and the University of Alaska, Anchorage, with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. Ken met his future wife, Sandra Orman, in Alaska. They had two children, Jason and Jessica, in their 29-year marriage before divorcing.

After college graduation, Ken served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of sergeant. He began his work career as a computer programmer with the telecom company WorldCom and then moved on to Verizon, where he led an international team of programmers. In 2017, he was hired by Alaska Airlines, where he worked until his death in June of this year.

Ken found a happy and productive home at the offices of Alaska Airlines in SeaTac, Washington. He was a coach and coordinator of teams that worked on a wide variety of projects. In this capacity, he was recently promoted to the position of principal scrum master from senior scrum master. The business use of “scrum” evolved from the sport of rugby where opposing team players huddle together to restart play.

Kristin Olsen, a former supervisor of Ken’s at Alaska, said scrum masters “are the process leaders for how we get work done in technology.” They coordinate with software engineers, production engineers, designers and product managers.

Ken was a great collaborator across different groups and types of people, Olsen said. Focusing on outcomes was his particular strength. He was also very principled.

“Ken was tenacious with his beliefs, and he would talk to you for hours about those until you were convinced this is the right way to go.”

Theresa Miller, a 30-year employee at Alaska Airlines, said that Ken brought out the best in people. “How can I help?” was his standard question, she said. She remembers how helpful, supportive, witty and kind he was. He was great at asking questions and helping the team to think about problems and solutions. In addition, “He was really fun to work with and made deep friendships through the company.”

Co-workers poured out their feelings about Ken on the online website Kudoboard.com. They said things like this:

“Ken - what a gentle, kindhearted lion of a man. His support, kindness and compassion will stay with me forever. My favorite saying of his when I would thank him for his support was ‘I'm just setting you up for success.’ I loved his wit, humor and occasional sarcasm.”

“What I adored about Ken was his wicked sense of humor and our shared love of well-placed snark. He could easily send us both into a fit of giggles.”

“Ken was always the most reasonable person in the room. His wisdom always kept us focused through difficult and complex discussions.”

“Ken's care for his family showed at work too. I could immediately tell he was so proud when he talked about his son, daughter or Kim.”

“What an awesome guy with a beautiful vibe, Ken will be so sorely missed! He filled all of us with great knowledge, inspiration, and immense care.”

“Why do good people always seem to die young? Ken was consistently kind, patient, and supportive to myself and my team members. He always prompted us with good questions to make sure our processes were working for us and not the other way around.”

Ken had a liking for photography, hiking, playing card games, spending time with family and friends, traveling and scuba diving. He engaged in lengthy discussions about the etymology of words with his stepmother, Willa Moore. As important as work was to Ken, family always came first. “He was so proud of Jessica and Jason,” Kim said. “He loved his grandsons deeply.”

Kim remembers the trips she and Ken took to New Mexico to visit her grandparents, Berchie Hettinga (“GiGi”) and Jim Jameson (“Papa”). They formed an immediate connection, Kim said.

“Ken helped Papa come up with creative solutions to accommodate his loss of sight from macular degeneration (like putting sandpaper on the buttons of his remote controls and programming his devices to be voice controlled).

“Ken would ask 97-year-old GiGi to dance with him. GiGi was teaching him to dance formally for our wedding.”

Jason remembers this scene from his teenage years:

“We were at a restaurant, just the two of us, and when we got up to leave, he gave me one his patented Ken Moore hugs. A warm embrace that I had become very accustomed to. I thought nothing of it at the time, but on our way out of the restaurant, a gentleman stopped my dad and told him it was amazing to see his teenage son so willing to hug him in public like that. My dad always made me feel safe and loved. The fact that I’ll never get to hug him again truly breaks my heart. I’m not ready to never see my dad again, but I know his spirit lives on inside me.”

Jason’s wife, Natalia, will miss Ken’s caring nature.

“One of my favorite things about him was how hard he was trying to learn Spanish so he could help me encourage and teach my children how to speak Spanish,” Natalia said. “He knew how important that was for me. He was constantly trying to educate himself on Mexican culture so he could honor and respect me, my family and our culture. I think that really says a lot about the kind of human he was.

“I wish I could relive my first days as a mother because he made me feel so special, as he did with everyone. My very first Mother's Day, Ken drove down to spend it with me and my mom. He was so thrilled to celebrate me as a mom and the woman that taught me everything there is about being a mother. He even made sure he showed up with orchids as a gift for my mom, one of her favorite flowers. I loved him very much.”

Jessica remembers a card her father gave her to celebrate her recent college graduation:

“He talked about how people would tell him that he lights up when he talked about me. I feel the same way when I talk about him. My dad was, and is, the best father anyone could ever ask for; an entire novel wouldn’t even begin to cover all the ways in which he was the best. Selfless, loving and wise, my dad was my #1 supporter and encouraged me to always follow my heart and do what makes me happy.”

In her Facebook post, Jessica said: “Happy Father’s Day, daddy. I will carry the love and lessons you taught me throughout the rest of my life. As long as I’m alive, so are you.”

Carol Voyles, Ken’s aunt and the younger sister of his late mother, has a long memory of her beloved nephew:

“One of the profound joys in my life has been to welcome babies into our family; to witness and participate in their metamorphosis from belly-laughs infant to admirable adults. Kenny was one of those babies. From his earliest days, he brought love, laughter and sweetness to our family. The pain we feel at his early death is matched by our love for him.”

Scott Allan Moore, Ken’s uncle who lives in Bellingham, Washington, had a lifetime of interactions with his nephew. At just 3 or 4 years old, Ken was a perpetual talker, Scott recalled. “From the time he woke up to the time he went to bed, he talked constantly. It was kind of annoying, but he was such a cute, friendly little guy and generally good-natured, it was easy to like him. Plus, he just had lots to say.”

Ken took to being a dad as if it were his natural calling, Scott said. “I had a chance to watch Ken’s two wonderful kids, Jason and Jessica, growing up and participating in sports and music – something I enjoyed immensely. … Ken always made sure I was invited to the games and music performances, including to their home for family gatherings. This is where I fully was able to watch and see Ken at some of his best being a devoted dad, so kind, understanding, and there for all their needs.”

Scott deeply feels the loss of his nephew. “I will dearly miss Ken. He was a giant of a person -- so kind, loving, giving, positive, understanding – he was the best of us all. There were times it almost seemed like he was psychic with the ability to read people right away at first meeting. He was never judgmental and what an amazing listener. He was a leader with a brilliant mind that was always in full gear. I was envious of how quickly he could figure out a problem and make it right. He was someone special to me that I fully trusted. And man, he was often so good at board and card games – frustrated me how he won so often as if he had some other internal power gift of vision.”

In death, Ken leaves his fiancée and business partner, Kimberly D. Hettinga, Mountlake Terrace, Washington; son, Jason K. Moore (Natalia), Battleground, Washington; daughter, Jessica K. Moore, Bellingham, Washington; grandsons Mateo J. Moore and Julian M. Moore, Battleground, Washington; and father, Robert D. Moore (Willa), Sedro-Woolley, Washington. His mother, who is deceased, was Susan L. (Wallace) Moore, Sacramento, California. He also leaves brothers Stuart B. Moore (Nancy), Bellingham, Washington, and Craig V. Moore, Tumwater, Washington; sisters Lelani G. Alves (Harold), Sacramento, California, and Julie C. Hendricksen (Charles), Tumwater, Washington, and a large extended family.

Family and friends will celebrate Ken's life at a private gathering.